This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 197 41 619.5, filed Sep. 20, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a system and a method for changing, particularly reducing, the steering angle for rack and pinion steering systems for motor vehicles.
In the case of a production vehicle, the limiting of the steering angle is designed for a specified and largest standard tire fit. In the case of a vehicle with front-wheel drive, snow chains that are fitted are also considered in this case. In order to keep the turning circle of a vehicle small, the safety margin when the full steering lock is applied is kept as small as possible.
If the owner or user of a vehicle wishes to fit a tire system in which the tires are broader than the maximum size allowed for the standard steering angle limit, then it is necessary to reduce the maximum travel of the rack and pinion steering system, in order to prevent interference between the broader tires and adjacent vehicle components when the wheels are steered.
Such a change in the travel can be achieved by built-in adjustment devices. Such adjustment devices are known, for example, from German patent document DE 39 00 937 A1 and European patent document EP 0 470 424 A1. However, those known adjustment devices are of complex design, and are thus costly.
It is also known for the travel of a rack and pinion steering system to be reduced by fitting a spacer disk. The spacer disks are in each case fitted into the joint between the rack end and the respectively adjacent tie-rod. However, in this case, the joint has to be opened to fit the spacer disk, which is not only time and labor intensive, but also requires the tracking of the steered wheels to be reset and measured.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved system and an improved method for changing the steering angle for rack and pinion steering systems for motor vehicles. In particular, there is a need for a system and a method for changing the steering angle for rack and pinion steering systems for motor vehicles which are relatively simple, have relatively low component costs, require minimal efforts to implement, and in which re-adjustment and measuring of the steering track are unnecessary.
These and other needs have been met according to the present invention by providing a system for adjusting a steering angle of a rack and pinion steering system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a rack located between tie-rods of wheels to be steered, said rack being connected to said tie-rods, said rack being mounted displaceably in a housing and having radially thickened connecting regions between ends of the rack and the respective tie-rods, said thickened regions limiting the steering angle by abutting against the housing, said rack having flattened retaining regions adjacent each of said thickened regions; and at least two approximately U-shaped spacer clips mounted on said rack at said radial thickened regions.
These and other needs have also been met according to the present invention by providing a system for adjusting a maximum steering angle of at least one steerable wheel of a motor vehicle, said system comprising: a rack to be coupled to said at least one steerable wheel, said rack having a radially extending region for engagement with a housing to define a maximum steering angle, said rack having a pair of flattened retaining regions on radially opposite sides adjacent said thickened regions; and at least one generally U-shaped spacer clip mountable on said rack at said radial thickened regions.
These and other needs have also been met according to the present invention by providing a method for adjusting a maximum steering angle of at least one steerable wheel of a motor vehicle having a steering rack coupled to the steerable wheel, said method comprising the acts of: providing a rack having a radially extending region for engagement with a housing to define a maximum steering angle; forming a pair of flattened retaining regions on radially opposite sides of said rack adjacent said thickened regions; and mounting at least one generally U-shaped spacer clip on said rack at said radial thickened regions.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.